Howdy, fam!

…who still says howdy? We do apparently.

Anyway, don’t forget this Friday is Subscriber Content Day! If you’ve written/published any marketing-related, Carnage-worthy content (blog posts, podcasts, videos, etc.) lately, send it to info@carney.co. If we love it, we’ll include it in Friday’s Carnage.

But, here’s the kicker — today is the last day to submit content. You gotta get your content in by 11:59pm EDT today. We need time to do our thing, ya know?

Stop thinking of your email marketing like a billboard. Your emails shouldn’t just be ads that land in your subscribers’ inboxes. Instead, our Director of Marketing suggests that you think of email marketing more like social media than billboard advertising.

Email marketing can be stupid effective — but only when it’s done right. You’ve heard all those crazy stats like, “email is 40 times more effective at acquiring new customers over Facebook or Twitter.” (source) And that can be true.

But it’s not going to be true if you continue to spam your subscribers’ inboxes with ads.

Let’s find a better way forward. If you want to create an email marketing strategy that your subscribers will look forward to reading, do this:

1. Audit all of your current emails. Start with what you’re currently doing. You should be asking a bunch of questions about your current strategy, but the most important to ask is, “Would I open this email if it landed in my inbox?”
2. Don’t audit your competitors. For real, ignore your competitors. If you look at them and see that they’re sending similar emails to what you’re sending, that doesn’t mean you’re doing anything right. You both might be wrong.
3. Determine frequency and timing. We always recommend starting with the frequency and timing of your emails before filling in the content. A daily email is going to have very different content than a monthly.
4. Determine the content of the email. Plenty of ways you could go here.
5. Add some “fun” content. We truly think all emails need some sort of fun hook. That’s why the Ads from the Past is in every single Daily Carnage.
6. Add your Calls-to-Action. Most email campaigns start with the CTAs. We think that’s completely backward. By waiting until the end to add your CTAs in, you’ll do a better job of putting the value upfront. That’s why people subscribe to your emails anyway. Just give them value over a CTA. It’s the same thing you already do on social media.
7. Send it! And then consistently repeat the process.

We skipped over a TON in this blog. Read the full thing for more insight and specific examples for inspiration.

Y’all marketing on social media?

Lol of course you are. The thought of any marketer not on social literally gives us the heebie jeebies! That oh lawd no feeling. Kinda how Shaggy and Scooby see a ghost and instantly run off like it’s their first rodeo.

Okay, okay, we know you’re on social already. But, are you sharing great stories or is your brand bouncing around with the social clutter?

Carrie Kerpen, from Likeable, is sharing insights she’s found when talking with other brilliant people in the marketing space. From those convos, she’s sharing 3 critical pieces that storytelling has on building a brand.

1. Share multiple chapters from the same book.

An omnichannel marketing strategy is a process of engaging with customers through a variety of channels. It’s almost like the different channels are a chapter in a book. For example, KEDs may start a story in their retail store but have customers complete a journey on Instagram or their e-commerce site.

Key: Think like your customer. What places and ways are they interacting with your brand?

2. You’re a human, be one on social too.

Instead of acting like a robotic business, give your brand a voice. You have more options to do so than you may think. Take Organic Valley for instance, and the three campaigns they are running that focus on three different objectives, different emotions, and different tones of voice.

• Save the Bros video campaign hit viral status, racked up millions of views, and gained awesome press coverage. All of this from the purpose of separating themselves from their competitors.
• Soul of Farming series helps consumers better understand farming and its importance.
• Call Us Crazy showcases the people behind the company.

3. Be relevant and relatable by sharing customer stories.

There’s so much room in this space. Testimonials that focus on storytelling rather than promotional ads work so much better. The dating brand, Match, jumped this hurdle when they started showcasing the stories of real couples who met through the service.

The key? Sweet authenticity means a relatable brand.

That’s it for today, marketers. Go forth and conquer.

What do a biker, police officer, high school student, single dad, and a young boy all have in common? 

Still struggling? Okay, here’s a hint. Not only do these people have something in common, but they’re all also together in the same room. That has to give it away.

No, you still don’t get it?! Okay, okay we’ll tell you.

They all have the opportunity to register as an organ donor. They’re all at the DMV! Understand now? Sorry if we confused you there. But, LifeSource’s newest ‘Check the Box’ campaign just launched and not going to lie… we dig it.

The commercial goes through and shows people of all different ages, different races, people with different hobbies – all with the same checkbox above their head. It makes you wonder what all of these people could ever have in common. It’s not until the very end that you learn the checkbox actually represents the organ donor box on a license registration form.

No matter who you are, where you’re from, or what you do — you can register and potentially save lives. Have you checked the box? Click below to check it out…